Beyond the Classroomhttps://cas.umw.edu/beyond
Where great minds get to workWed, 22 Apr 2020 15:18:44 +0000en-US
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.1176524091The 14th Annual Research and Creativity Day Symposium has gone virtual!https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/20/the-14th-annual-research-and-creativity-day-symposium-has-gone-virtual/
https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/20/the-14th-annual-research-and-creativity-day-symposium-has-gone-virtual/#respondMon, 20 Apr 2020 18:18:34 +0000https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/?p=105April 24, 2020 would have been the 14th annual Research and Creativity Day symposium at the University of Mary Washington. As in years past, the Hurley Convergence Center would have been filled with posters and hosted simultaneous oral sessions. There would have been multiple exhibitions and performances across campus, and numerous departments would have hosted their own events to celebrate the intellectual and creative work of their students. Unfortunately, the unprecedented events connected to the Coronavirus pandemic this year has meant that along with all other face-to-face events and classes at the university, we cannot hold this year’s Research and Creativity Day as we have in years past.

But students and faculty have been working together throughout this year on their research and creative projects, and we want to take the time to share them and celebrate them. For that reason we will be holding the 2020 Research and Creativity Day as a Virtual Symposium. We invite everyone to go to our Virtual Symposium website on April 23rd and 24th, 2020 to see student projects and performances from across the university. We hope you will not only take a look, but also take the time to comment directly to the various projects by our students with your questions and words of encouragement to recognize and celebrate their hard work and achievements.

]]>https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/20/the-14th-annual-research-and-creativity-day-symposium-has-gone-virtual/feed/0105UMW Theatre students lead through good times, and difficult ones toohttps://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/10/umw-theatre-students-lead-through-good-times-and-difficult-ones-too/
https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/10/umw-theatre-students-lead-through-good-times-and-difficult-ones-too/#respondFri, 10 Apr 2020 01:06:16 +0000https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/?p=99Students in the UMW Theatre deparment get hands on experience in every aspect of production and performance of a variety of dramatic pieces, funded in part with monies from the Dean’s Research and Creativity grants.

Fall 2019 student directors: Senior Jacob Dodges, Clever Little Lies by Joe DiPietro. Senior Morgan Shotwell, Mojo by Jez Butterworth. Senior Victoria Fortune directed Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies. Senior Jessica Elkins and junior Ben Lechtman directed the First Year Showcase. All of the student-directors commented on how their experiences helped them hone communication skills and leadership. “Between scheduling conflicts with actors and communicating with my team of designers, I learned a great deal about the amount of responsibility and organization it takes to successfully direct a show” commented Dodges.

Olivia Whichloe had the opportunity to present work with a vocal coach in New York City, learning techniques that she used in her portrayal of Alison Bechdel in the fall 2019 production of Fun Home.

Olivia Whicheloe plays Alison Bechdel in the musical Fun Home, based on Bechdel’s novel of the same title.

Spring 2020 was shaping up to being just as busy for UMW Theatre, and was highlighted by a research trip by 16 students to New York City to meet with alumni-professionals. But shortly after returning from break, everyone had to leave campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UMW Theatre faculty and students began working on creative ways to continue their work. Senior Ben Lechtman, together with Jacob Dodges and Aaron Hoffman-Wilson plan an on-line series of performances of three pieces by the Studio 115 committee. Students and faculty have also continued rehearsals of the UMW production fo Much Ado About Nothing and plan an on-line performance of Shakespeare’s comedy soon. Chair Gregg Stull described his departments amazing efforts during this difficult time:

“Our faculty and staff are moving ahead—still teaching and creating incredible learning experiences for our students. I am amazed at how resourceful they have become in the pivot to online education. Faculty are still lecturing, demonstrating, and discussing as they keep our students engaged in their courses. Some are creating videos, others are meeting their classes online, and still others have adapted numerous technologies to keep their classes moving forward. I am inspired by their commitment to our students.”

]]>https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/10/umw-theatre-students-lead-through-good-times-and-difficult-ones-too/feed/099Students and Faculty Come Together to Bring a Classic into the Digital Agehttps://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/03/students-and-faculty-come-together-to-bring-a-classic-into-the-digital-age/
https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/03/students-and-faculty-come-together-to-bring-a-classic-into-the-digital-age/#respondFri, 03 Apr 2020 16:15:18 +0000https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/?p=101When courses moved abruptly from in person to online delivery due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Professor Angie Pitts and her students in Latn 358: Ovid, were disappointed. They had been looking forward to a visit from Dr. Bartolo Natoli of Randolph Macon College, author of Silenced Voices: The Poetics of Speech in Ovid (U. WI Press), who was scheduled to give a public lecture April 2nd on the theme of “Silenced Voices” in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Instead of cancelling the event outright after our move to remote teaching and the closing of campus, Dr. Natoli volunteered to join a synchronized teleconference meeting of the class for a roundtable discussion on the theme of “Silence” in book X of the Metamorphoses during regular synchronized meetings of the class using the Canvas Conferencing platform. Dr. Natoli’s honorarium was supported by the students of UMW’s chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the Classics Honors Society, using “programming” proceeds the students in it earned in their fall 2019 used book sale. In return for Eta Sigma Phi’s generosity, at least one member of Classics faculty (Prof. Liane Houghtalin) has already pledged to provide at least 50 books from her personal bookshelves for the Fall 2020 annual book sale. The other two Classics faculty are planning to follow suit and donate an abundance of books, too, a wonderful story of students and faculty collaborating together to help enrich the academic life of our students during incredibly challenging circumstances.
“Orphée charmant les animaux”Gravure sur bois. Dans Ovidii Metamorphoses, imprimé à Francfort, 1563Lyon, Bibliothèque municipale. Source: Wikicommons, 2020.

Here is an audio recording of their full conversation with Dr Bartolo Natoli.

]]>https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/04/03/students-and-faculty-come-together-to-bring-a-classic-into-the-digital-age/feed/0101Celebrating Women’s History Month, Ten Years of WGST and Undergraduate Researchhttps://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/23/celebrating-womens-history-month/
https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/23/celebrating-womens-history-month/#respondMon, 23 Mar 2020 16:22:34 +0000https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/?p=95This 2019-2020 academic year we have been celebrating ten years of the Women’s and Gender Studies program (see “Dynamic Decade: Women’s and Gender Studies Turns 10“) at Mary Washington. Every year this program hosts its own Undergraduate Research Forum in March as part of UMW Women’s History Month celebration. This is always a special event, with both poster and oral presentations by students in a variety of disciplines. But this year it was extra special, because it also marked the last public event on campus for the academic year, coming the day before the university suspended all face-to-face gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, March 11, fifteen UMW students presented their research. This included three posters and seven paper presentations. These were remarkably well-executed projects: thoughtful, rigorous and creative. To quote the judges: “Kristin and I deliberated for a while this evening, which I think is a testament to the excellent work and efforts of the many students who presented at the forum today.”

Runner up for presentations:

WGST Research Forum Presentations Panel
]]>https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/23/celebrating-womens-history-month/feed/095Building Young Brains and a Career in Non-Profits at Stafford Junctionhttps://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/09/building-young-brains-and-a-career-in-non-profits-at-stafford-junction/
https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/09/building-young-brains-and-a-career-in-non-profits-at-stafford-junction/#respondMon, 09 Mar 2020 08:00:07 +0000https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/?p=84Hina Zafar in her internship at Stafford Junction, 2019

Hina Zafar is a 2019 UMW graduate with a major in Psychology and a minor in Business Spanish. In her last semester of school, she worked with Stafford Junction for a semester-long internship. Stafford Junction is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources to low-income families in Stafford County in order to help them become successful and live better lives. One of the programs they run is called Brain Builders; an after-school tutoring program that takes place at six different elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Hina’s internship at the organization consisted of serving as a Brain Builders site coordinator as well as assisting the Children’s Program Manager, who supervised the entire Brain Builders program.

Hina commented that “My internship with Stafford Junction was one that I will never forget. I was able to experience the business side of a non-profit as well as the production side as a site coordinator, where I worked hands-on with the kids we served. I also confirmed that I want to continue to work in youth education, which I am now doing as a Literacy AmeriCorps member in Palm Beach County, Florida. I thank Stafford Junction for the organizational, communication, and personable skills that I learned and am confident that they will stay with me wherever I go.” Hina received funds from the College of Arts and Sciences for her internship.

]]>https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/09/building-young-brains-and-a-career-in-non-profits-at-stafford-junction/feed/084Theatre Students Hit the Big Apple for Spring Breakhttps://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/04/theatre-students-hit-the-big-apple-for-spring-break/
https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/2020/03/04/theatre-students-hit-the-big-apple-for-spring-break/#respondWed, 04 Mar 2020 15:24:22 +0000https://cas.umw.edu/beyond/?p=87UMW Theatre students are spending their spring break in New York City focusing on individual research projects exploring the contemporary theatre and theatre practitioners. They are experience professional theatre productions, interviewing industry professionals, and learning about the city and its artistic institutions. Many of the students are connecting with UMW alumni working in an array of careers including costume design, marketing, acting, fight choreography, fundraising, company management, sound engineering, child actor guardianship, and more.

Before heading off to interviews and other research appointments, students joined Gregg Stull, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, for a walking tour of the theatre district and the evolution of theatre in the United State. This rich history, dating back to the 18th Century, is full of fascinating stories of how the Broadway theatres we know today came to be and how the Times Square area has evolved into a world cultural destination.

Lizzy Rader ’20 with Sean Hefferon, Individual Giving and Special Events Associate at Playwrights Horizons, a leading non-profit theatre in New York City. Lizzy’s interviewed Sean to learn more about raising money for the arts the city.

Jake Dodges ’20 with Martha Smith ’98. Martha is a costumer and the Secretary and Treasurer of Local 764 Theatrical Wardrobe Union of IATSE (The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) at a reception for Roundabout Theatre’s Education Program at the American Airlines Theatre. Jake’s focus for his research project is learning about arts in education and learning more from professionals who make it their life’s work.

Grace Weaver ’20 with Devin Day ’10, AEA and Broadway Stage Manager. Grace is researching stage management and its role on Broadway, the regional theatre, special events, and tours.

Diana Bloom ’21 with Meg Weedon ’90, costume designer and draper at John Kristiansen’s Custom Costume Shop in New York. Diana’s is researching costume design, technology, and wardrobe careers in the professional theatre.

Victoria Fortune ’20 with Bob Braswell, Managing Director of the People’s Theatre Project in New York City. Victoria’s is researching general management and executive leadership of commercial and nonprofit theatres.

During the 2018-2019 academic year, English major Elisabeth DellaRova interned at Downtown Greens as a Marketing and Communications intern. Downtown Greens is a small nonprofit in Fredericksburg that provides open community greenspace, gardening workshops, and youth programming. Elisabeth coordinated their Fall 2018 Giving Tuesday campaign, ran the Facebook and Instagram pages, helped with content creation for their newsletter and monthly Front Porch Fredericksburg column, and assisted with the Head Start Garden Sprouts program at the Original Walker Grant Early Childhood Center in Fredericksburg. Elisabeth helped with planning events, such as a fundraiser dinner at a local brewery, a community yard sale, and the annual Fork it Over Festival. She applied her writing skills from her English major, and learned about photography and design. She also got to do some hands-on nonprofit work, such as working with the Head Start kids and volunteering at the yard sale.

Elisabeth’s internship was supported by funds from the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Advisory Board. To quote Elisabeth: “I’m very grateful for the grant that I received from the Alumni Advisory Board for the spring 2019 semester–it gave me the ability to work 10 hours a week at Downtown Greens. With the experience I got at Downtown Greens, I was able to secure a paid internship for the summer at a technology company that serves nonprofits.”

Elisabeth graduated in December 2019, and now works for that technology company full time. She credits that first internship at Downtown Greens for helping start her on a successful career path.

Some human activities intended for good reason, have terrible effects, particularly with sand-mining. Senior biology major Lauren Chartier studied the effects sand-mining has on soil quality because soil biology, chemistry, and physical structure are key determinants of unique qualities that ultimately determine what can grow there. Chartier analyzed land-use (LU) histories twenty-six years following reclamation of mined lands in Caroline County in the Virginian Coastal plains, USA, including: 1) mined and reclaimed for agriculture, 2) mined and abandoned, 3) agriculture and not mined, and 4) an undisturbed forested site. Early results show differences between land-use histories in the chemical and microbial compositions in the soil.

Chartier presented a research poster, “The Biogeochemistry of Reclaimed Sand-mined Soils in Caroline County, Virginian Coastal Plains, USA” at the 2019 Annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Her poster presentation tied for runner up in the Environmental and Engineering Geology category. She is currently writing a manuscript to submit for publication under the guidance of her faculty project mentor, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Dr. Ben Kisila.

Earth and Environmental Sciences student Thanh-Binh Duong has been conducting ecotoxicological research, investigating the occurrence and toxicity of microplastics in freshwater systems. She has researched the presence of microplastics in sediment and water samples collected throughout the Potomac and Rappahannock River, and analyzed the interactive effects of microplastics and organochlorine pesticides on the viability and behavior of the dominant freshwater species, Daphnia magna. Thanh-Binh presented her work titled ““Determination of the Impact of Polyethylene Nanoplastics on the Toxicity of Methoxychlor on Daphnia magna” at the 2019 meetings for the Society of Environmental Toxicology at both the North America conference as well as the meeting for the local chapter of SETAC, and was awarded a travel award to attend the North America conference. Additionally, she won 2nd place for best oral presentation when she presented her research at UMW’s Summer Science Institute Symposium in 2019.

One of the largest means of producing electricity is through the combustion of coal. Coal ash, its waste product, contains trace metals that can become mobile in the environment. Catherine Crowell, a sophomore majoring in environmental science, examined trace metal contamination within sediment and water samples collected near a coal-burning power station using ICP-OES. Synthetic leachates were prepared in the lab and exposures of these leachates on embryonic ramshorn snails, were conducted. Preliminary results indicate high mortality of ramshorn snails to the leachates, and the presence of trace metals found within the leachates and water column samples. It is expected that trace metals will be found in high concentrations within sediment samples collected near and downstream the power station. Crowell received a travel grant to present her research, “The Impacts of pH on trace contaminant leaching and toxicity of coal ash in Planorbella duryi,” at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting held in Toronto, Canada in November 2019. She also received a travel award from the Chesapeake Potomac Regional Chapter. The next phase of her study is to analyze the remaining sediment samples for trace metals. Her primary faculty mentors are Dr. Tyler Frankel, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Dr. Ben Kisila, Professor of Geology.